Optical communication systems employ waveguides to carry optical channels. The waveguides preferably carry a plurality of optical channels in order to increase the capacity of the system. These channels are generated by lasers. Fabry-perot (FP) lasers emit a broad range of wavelengths but the emission spectrum is not easily controlled. The spectrum changes with temperature and current and is not capable of high speed transmission or over long spans. In response, distributed feedback (DFB) lasers were generated. While DFB lasers are able to emit over a narrow spectrum they are only capable of generating a single wavelength channel. As a result, a plurality of DFB lasers are often employed to generate the desired number of channel. However, DFB lasers are substantially more expensive that FP lasers. As a result, using multiple DFB lasers can cause an undesirable increase in the cost of the system. As a result, there is a need for an economical optical device that can produce a plurality of channels such that each channel has a narrow range of wavelengths.